First Civilizations: Africa and Asia

Ancient Egypt/Sumerian Civilization• Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C. )also

known as Pyramid Age• Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C)

Hyksos conquer Egypt• New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)

Egypt gains power and then begins to decline*

Early Egyptian Rule

Egyptians believe in:Life after deathPharaohs were viewed as godsCaste system:

- Pharaohs>High Priests and Priestesses> Nobles>Craftspeople and Merchants> Peasant farmers> Slaves*

Important Egyptian Term

Hieroglyphics- used to keep records of Egyptian culture for thousands of years

Mummification- process of preserving the dead

Delta- triangle area formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of a river

Satrap- governor of a province of the Persian empire

Ziggurat- pyramid shaped temple built by the sumerians*

More terms and facts

Papyrus- reed used to make paper-like material

Sumer was made up of independent city-states

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem recounting the adventures of a Sumerian hero

The Code of Hammurabi was the first major collection of laws*

More facts about Egypt

Egyptian society relied on the Nile River for much of its natural resources

Most Egyptians were farmers

The Phoenicians were responsible for spreading much of Middle Eastern civilization*

Important People

Tutankhamon (King Tut)- pharaoh who died young and was made famous when his tomb was discovered

Amon-Re- Egyptian sun godHammurabi- ruler who published a code of laws to

help unite his empireHatshepsut- Egyptian queen who declared herself

pharaohRamses II- pharaoh who spread Egyptian rule

northward as far as Syria*

More Important People

Osiris- god of the Nile and ruler of the underworld

Moses- led enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt

Zoroaster- Persian thinker who rejected the old gods and taught that a single god ruled the world

Isis- wife of Osiris*

Even More Important People

Sumerians- credited with creating the wheel

Lydians- developed the first coined money

Hittites- the first to work with iron

Phoenicians- developed the first alphabet

Babylonians- they created the first written code of laws*

All done !!